Bears Rumors: NFL Insiders 'Fully Expect' Kliff Kingsbury to Get HC Interview

Kliff Kingsbury could get another shot at head coaching after one season of directing the Washington Commanders' offense.

NFL insiders "fully expect" the Chicago Bears to interview Kingsbury for their head coaching position following the midseason firing of Matt Eberflus, Jeremy Fowler reported for ESPN.

Kingsbury worked as a senior offensive analyst for USC during Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' final college season.

"I loved being around him. Tremendous person," Kingsbury said about working with Williams following his hire in D.C.

That connection, as well as the "quarterback cachet" he earned while coaching Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2022, is expected to earn Kingsbury the interview in Chicago, according to Fowler.

Kingsbury also coached Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield during his tenure as head coach at Texas Tech, and has worked with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in Washington.

Williams has struggled while exposed by a porous offensive line during his rookie season with the Bears. He took his 58th sack of the season during Monday's Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, which also marked the Bears' eighth straight defeat.

The rookie quarterback told reporters after the loss that taking that number of hits through 14 games was taking a toll on him.

"Say you get in three car accidents in a month, you're going to feel it," Williams said after the loss to the Vikings, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "That's what a hit is in football... you take those over an amount of time and it builds up."

The Bears' current offensive situation isn't sustainable. Given that interim head coach Thomas Brown hasn't been able to turn around the losing streak, Chicago may look outside the organization to help build a stronger situation around Williams for his second NFL season.

The Commanders hired Kingsbury as offensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season. He has a history of his offenses in both Arizona and Texas Tech declining in the back half of their seasons but could work to shake off that reputation with three games remaining and a potential playoff berth on the line in D.C.

If Kingsbury is able to help the Commanders reach the postseason in Daniels' first NFL season, he could further boost his candidacy for the opening in Chicago.